In the end, once Trafalgar Law heard the name "Donquixote Family," he made up his mind to stick around Vegapunk's lab. Vegapunk, buzzing with excitement, was already lost in a whirlwind of new ideas, his head looked like it had swollen up a bit more from the sheer volume of them.
Dante didn't give it much thought. He trusted Vegapunk to figure out Law's next steps, the scientist wouldn't waste a second.
Kuma was there, too.
When Vegapunk announced that Bonney would be well in a few days, the burly man broke down completely, tears and snot streaming down his face. He clutched Bonney tightly, and the usually boisterous girl, seeing her father in such a state, just quietly patted his head to comfort him.
Watching from the side, the corners of Law's mouth curled into a faint smile. For a moment, his eyes held a distant, nostalgic look before his expression smoothed over, becoming as calm as if nothing had happened.
But Dante caught it. 'He must be thinking of Corazon,' he realized.
'Come to think of it... their stories are a bit similar.'
When Law was at his most desperate, he met Corazon, a man who refused to give up on him and searched tirelessly for a cure. And Bonney, who met Kuma not long after she was born and lost her mother, contracted the same disease. Kuma, too, had never given up, constantly searching for a way to save her.
In both cases, a family tie forged not by blood, but someone who refused to give up on them when they were facing the same terminal illness. Who knew if Kuma now regretted rejecting Ginny all those years ago out of his own insecurity? Perhaps if he had been a little braver, things might have turned out differently.
Of course, it was useless to dwell on it now.
Dante suspected that was why Law had agreed to perform the surgery, and why he had even waived his reward. He must have seen a reflection of himself in Bonney. The kid might be cunning, cold, and distant, but he had never forgotten what Corazon taught him. It was just...
Seeing Dante preparing to leave, Kuma finally pulled himself together, wiping the tears from his face. He promised Bonney he would be back for her as soon as she was better, then turned to Dante, ready to get back to work. In his mind, all this trouble had come from the effort to save his daughter. As a father, he could not just hide while others dealt with the fallout. He was ready to work twice as hard to solve whatever problems had come up for his boss.
However, with the Donquixote Family situation still up in the air, Dante told Kuma to stay put for the time being, promising to let him know when he was needed.
Dante then went to his office, where Robin was already waiting. "Are you sure it's the Donquixote Family?"
"It's confirmed," Robin said, looking up. "The two agents from the Donquixote Family made no effort to hide their identities. And don't worry. Per your instructions, the Baroque Works agents didn't engage them. They don't know about us yet. As far as they're concerned, the Tyrant, Kuma, is the man behind it all."
"I see." Dante nodded.
Since taking over Baroque Works, he had cut all assassination contracts and pivoted the organization to focus on intelligence gathering and sales. Kuma's involvement was a way to quietly promote their products across the Four Blues. That was why the cosmetics business was secretly registered under his name. He knew that anyone determined enough could eventually trace it back to him.
But with the titles of "Tyrant" and "Shichibukai" attached to his name, most people would avoid causing trouble for the business.
Besides, whose name could he have used instead? The Commander of a small East Blue Marine base? The Overlord of the East Blue? Neither of those titles carried enough weight to deter real players. For now, only the cosmetics line and the upcoming shipyard were under Kuma's name, the smaller factories were still registered to the Conomi Archipelago.
It was just...
A puzzled look crossed Dante's face. "The Donquixote Family is doing fine in the New World. Why would they suddenly take an interest in our business?"
--**--**
"Hm? The Tyrant of the South Blue? You mean Bartholomew Kuma, the one who just signed on as a Shichibukai?"
"Fufufu, what a surprise. I never thought the Tyrant, who ran off to the East Blue to play house, was capable of building such a popular business."
"Should we still make a move?" The voice came through the Den Den Mushi, steady but probing. On the other end, Doflamingo's brows knit behind his sunglasses as he stared at the snail. "Hold off for now. Continue your investigation. And be careful. You are my family."
*Click, clack, click...*
After the call ended, Doflamingo propped his long legs, clad in loafers, onto the table. He sprawled across the sofa, an arm draped over the back, the very picture of an underworld emperor in his element.
"I thought he was just a simple-minded giant. As expected, no one chosen by the World Government to be a Warlord can be underestimated."
"Behehehe!" At his side, a portly, slovenly man holding a staff topped with a club symbol looked at him. "Doffy, so, are we making a move?"
"A move?" Doflamingo fell silent. He had to admit, he never expected the man behind the Oda's Cosmetics brand to be his fellow Warlord, Bartholomew Kuma. (The brand name was changed from Tony's cosmetics quickly for security reasons. Due to how successful the products became.)
"Trebol," he said, turning to the man. "What's the status of the research?"
"We don't have the complete formula yet," Trebol said, flashing his sparse teeth in a grin. "Our people gave both products an extremely high evaluation. They believe only a expert doctor could have formulated them. They said a full reverse-engineering of the formula would take at least a year."
"A year? I can't wait that long." Doflamingo slouched back in his seat, a faint smile on his lips. "How tempting. To think the Tyrant was capable of creating something like this. This is even more profitable than my arms dealing. Fufufufu, truly unexpected."
It was true. This business was more profitable than anything else he had.
The products had appeared in the New World out of nowhere and were instantly in high demand among nobles, royals, and even female pirates. There were rumors that Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, was a devoted user. Some even claimed it had become her second-favorite indulgence, right after sweets.
Whether that was true or not, the Donquixote Family's investigation confirmed that sales were explosive, and the Big Mom Pirates were indeed secretly acquiring the product. Furthermore, while they had not cracked the formula, they estimated the production cost was low, while the selling price was a hundred, even a thousand times that.
A single product, selling for a hundred to a thousand times its production cost. He had to hand it to the Tyrant, the man is a great businessmen.
And still, people were clamoring for it. Who would not want a piece of that action?
Leaning back, Doflamingo's eyes glinted. "Where is Caesar Clown now?"
"He accepted an appointment from the World Government."
"So he really double-crossed me," Doflamingo said with a shake of his head. He was smiling, but his tone was cold. He had been planning to break Caesar out of prison after learning the scientist could create Artificial Devil Fruits.
But then the World Government's top scientist, Vegapunk, had suddenly disappeared. After a long and fruitless search, the government had turned its attention back to Caesar, the very scientist who should have been put on trial. The whole affair had rendered Doflamingo's arrangements useless and nearly exposed Vergo's cover.
"A pity. I was planning to use him to work with Kaido. It seems I'll have to give up on that for now." Doflamingo tapped his fingers on the table, a thoughtful frown on his face. "If we can take over this cosmetics business, perhaps we could work with the Big Mom Pirates instead."
"So, Doffy, you mean..."
"We're pirates. When we see something we want, we take it. Fufufu~, a year is too long. I can't wait." After letting out his signature laugh, Doflamingo steepled his fingers in front of his chin, a cold glint in his eyes. "I heard the Overlord of the East Blue fought the Tyrant to a standstill all on his own?"
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